Method of manufacturing turbine airfoil with open tip casting and tip component thereof
Methods of manufacturing or repairing a turbine blade or vane are described. The airfoil portions of these turbine components are typically manufactured by casting in a ceramic mold, and a surface made up of the cast airfoil and at the least the ceramic core serves as a build surface for a subsequent process of additively manufacturing the tip portions. The build surface is created by removing a top portion of the airfoil and the core, or by placing an ultra-thin shim on top of the airfoil and the core. The overhang projected by the shim is subsequently removed. These methods are not limited to turbine engine applications, but can be applied to any metallic object that can benefit from casting and additive manufacturing processes. The present disclosure also relates to finished and intermediate products prepared by these methods.
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The present disclosure generally relates to a method of manufacturing or repairing a hollow metal object. More specifically, the hollow metal object is prepared using an additive manufacturing (AM) technique, or a mixture of an AM technique and of an investment casting technique. The AM technique utilized in the manufacturing method is not limited to the direct metal laser melting (DMLM) or any other laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing. The hollow metal object produced is especially useful as a component of an aircraft engine or other power generation turbines, e.g. a blade or a stator vane.
BACKGROUNDSuperalloy materials are among the most difficult materials to weld due to their susceptibility to weld solidification cracking and strain age cracking. The term “superalloy” as used herein means a highly corrosion and oxidation resistant alloy with excellent mechanical strength and resistance to creep at high temperatures. Superalloys typically include high nickel or cobalt content. Examples of superalloys include alloys sold under the trademarks and brand names Hastelloy, Inconel alloys (e.g., IN 738, IN 792, IN 939), Rene alloys (e.g., Rene N5, Rene 80, Rene 142, Rene 195), Haynes alloys, Mar M, CM 247, CM 247 LC, C263, 718, X-750, ECY 768, 282, X45, PWA 1483 and CMSX (e.g. CMSX-4) single crystal alloys.
Gas turbine airfoils, both rotating blades and stationary vanes, are often manufactured by casting a superalloy material around a fugitive ceramic core that is then removed to form cooling chambers and channels in the blade. The manufacture of these turbine blades, typically from high strength, superalloy metal materials, involves an initial manufacture of a precision ceramic core to conform to the intricate cooling passages desired inside the turbine blade. A precision die or mold is also created which defines the precise 3-D external surface of the turbine blade including its airfoil, platform, and integral dovetail. A schematic view of such a mold structure 10 is shown in
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0200189 (assigned to General Electric Company) discloses a method by which, as shown
In another aspect, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0200189 depicts an airfoil 18″ formed by an alternative method.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2015/0034266A1 (assigned to Siemens Energy, Inc.) describes a method of manufacturing a turbine blade where the cavity of the blade is also filled with a support material for subsequent formation of the blade tip. As shown in
In view of the foregoing, and the fact that current blades and vanes tend to be life limited especially at their tips which are very expensive to replace, a need remains for novel methods of manufacturing tips or other components for new-make cast airfoils and field-return repair airfoils. It would be desirable to provide methods that are less time-consuming and more cost-effective. For example, it would be especially beneficial to provide methods that utilize materials that are already existing in airfoil manufacturing facilities and/or methods that find new, secondary uses for such materials, thereby circumventing the need to acquire and waste any new materials.
SUMMARYIn a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a blade tip. The method comprises: (a) pouring a liquid metal into a ceramic casting mold including a core portion and a shell portion to form a partial turbine blade workpiece upon solidification of the liquid metal, and leaving exposed at least one upper portion of the ceramic core; (b) removing a portion of the ceramic casting mold and the partial turbine blade workpiece to create a surface; (c) depositing a layer of metallic powder onto the surface; (d) irradiating at least a portion of the metallic powder to form a fused layer; and (e) repeating steps (c)-(d) until the blade tip is formed. Preferably, the surface portions are planar surfaces.
In certain embodiments, the ceramic casting mold comprises a ceramic shell and a ceramic core with at least one inner cavity between the shell and the core. Accordingly, an embodiment of the method further comprises removing the ceramic shell before step (b).
In some embodiments, the method further comprises treating the surface portions to prevent ceramic contamination. Preferably, the surface is treated by vacuuming, with an alkaline media, with a protective layer, or a combination thereof.
In one embodiment, steps (c)-(e) of the method are carried out in the presence of induction heating, radiant heating or a combination of both, e.g. at 200-1200° C.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises removing the ceramic casting mold from the partial turbine blade workpiece. Preferably, the ceramic casting mold is removed by mechanical force, chemical leaching or a combination of the two.
In one embodiment, the portion of the ceramic casting mold and the partial turbine blade is removed by grinding or cutting.
In some embodiments, the partial turbine blade is an airfoil. Preferably, the airfoil has a single crystal structure. Preferably, the blade tip has a non-single crystal structure.
In some embodiments, the metallic powder is a superalloy metallic powder.
In certain embodiments the ceramic is a photopolymerized ceramic, e.g. a cured photopolymerized ceramic.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. For example, the present invention provides a preferred method for additively manufacturing certain components of metal objects, and preferably these components and these objects are used in the manufacture of jet aircraft engines. Specifically, the production of single crystal, nickel-based superalloy or elemental titanium hollow metal objects such as turbine blades and stator vanes can be advantageously produced in accordance with this invention. However, other metal components of the turbine may be prepared using the techniques and methods described herein. Similarly, other suitable, non-turbine components may also be prepared using the techniques and methods provided herein.
As established in the background, it is known that the tip portion of a blade or a stator vane can be manufactured, subsequent to casting of the airfoil and other portions (e.g. blade root and vane trunnions), by a direct metal laser melting (DMLM) or an electron beam melting (EBM) process such as the EBM processes described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,064,671 (assigned to Arcam AB and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).
A description of a typical DMLM process is provided in German Patent No. DE 19649865, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Owing to the fact that DMLM process requires a build platform or surface for supporting fabrication of a desired part geometry, prior art methods have often required building of a custom-made tip plate or tip cap (i.e. precisely defining that shape of the cross section of the airfoil) to not only close off the hollow interior of the airfoil, but to also serve as the surface for the DMLM process.
Ceramic casting mold used in conventional investment casting processes has often been regarded as a fugitive material to be removed immediately after cooling and solidification of the poured liquid metal. The present inventors have discovered that the internal ceramic core and optionally the external shell can elegantly and conveniently serve as a support structure for subsequent DMLM formation of the tip or any other component of the blade or vane. As used herein, the term “fugitive” means removable after melting and cooling of the metal, for example by a mechanical process, by fluid flushing, by chemical leaching and/or by any other known process capable of removing the fugitive material from its position. In certain embodiments when working with field-return airfoils with damaged or worn-off tips, ceramic slurry can be injected into the hollow interior or inner cavity of the airfoils to re-form the ceramic core. The combined core and airfoil then offers a support surface for formation of a replacement tip by DMLM.
The use of the ceramic core as a support structure for subsequent additive manufacturing operations is not only cost- and time-effective, but also highly viable. This is because ceramic is chemically inert and has high strength, high fracture toughness, high elastic modulus hardness, high melting points, low thermal expansion, excellent wear resistance, etc. Such physicochemical properties make ceramic an ideal material to withstand the conditions (i.e. high temperature and high pressure) of additive manufacturing processes. Moreover, it is not difficult to remove the ceramic core after completion of the manufacturing process (i.e. casting and printing), for example by mechanical force or chemical leaching (e.g. in alkaline bath) or preferably a combination of both. The ceramic casting molds, cores, shells and slurries of the present invention are preferably composed of a photopolymerized ceramic, more preferably a cured photopolymerized ceramic.
The tip of a blade or a stator vane in accordance with the present invention includes a peripheral tip wall that is sometimes referred as a squealer tip and a tip cap that closes off the interior of the airfoil. In some embodiments, however, the tip cap may be eliminated leaving the airfoil with an open cavity.
At the initial stage of the DMLM process, the raw metallic powder deposited on the ceramic-metal build surface 512 is melted together and bonded to the outer wall of the airfoil 510 by directing laser energy at it. The exact process parameters may vary to suit a specific application. In one embodiment, a short pulsed infrared laser beam is used, with an average power of 1-100 W, pulse frequency of 1 Hz to 200 kHz. The translation speed or scanning speed, if the laser beam is used with a scanner, is approximately 5 mm/s (0.197 in./s) to about 500 mm/s (19.7 in./s).
Alternatively and preferably, the first additive layer of the tip is joined to the airfoil 510 using a method of bonding superalloys disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,925,792 (assigned to General Electric Company), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The method generally includes aligning a first superalloy subcomponent having a gamma-prime solvus g′1 and a second superalloy subcomponent having a gamma-prime solvus g′2, with a filler material that includes at least 1.5 wt % boron disposed between the first and second superalloy subcomponents; performing a first heat treatment at a temperature T1, where T1 is above the solidus of the filler material and below the liquidus of the filler material; and performing a second heat treatment at a temperature T2, where T2 is greater than T1, and where T2 is greater than or equal to the lower of g′1 and g′2.
With proper control of the DMLM process parameters, this process can produce the same microstructure in the additively manufactured tip wall (e.g. directionally solidified or single crystal) as that of the airfoil 510, if desired. For example, a continuous wave beam of about 300 W to about 1000 W power may be used, with a traverse rate of about 0.25 cm/s (0.1 in./s) to about 0.76 cm/s (0.3 in./s) and preferably about 0.44 cm/s (0.175 in./s) to about 0.51 cm/s (0.200 in./s). About 100-200 passes result in a tip wall of a suitable height and a near-net shape, where each layer is 20-100 μm, preferably 20-50 μm, more preferably 30-50 μm. In one embodiment, each additive layer is 30 μm. As used herein, the term “near-net” refers to a structure that does require substantial additional machining processes in order to arrive at a finished part. Once the DMLM process is finished, the tip wall may be further formed by known processes of machining, grinding, coating, etc.
Representative examples of suitable materials for the raw metallic powder used during additive manufacturing and the liquid metal used during casting include alloys that have been engineered to have good oxidation resistance, known “superalloys” which have acceptable strength at the elevated temperatures of operation in a gas turbine engine, e.g. Hastelloy, Inconel alloys (e.g., IN 738, IN 792, IN 939), Rene alloys (e.g., Rene N4, Rene N5, Rene 80, Rene 142, Rene 195), Haynes alloys, Mar M, CM 247, CM 247 LC, C263, 718, X-750, ECY 768, 282, X45, PWA 1483 and CMSX (e.g. CMSX-4) single crystal alloys. The airfoils and the blade tips of the present invention may be formed with one or more selected crystalline microstructures, such as directionally solidified (“DS”) or single-crystal (“SX”). In certain embodiments, the blades and vanes of the present invention may be formed with multiple, controlled metallic grain orientations, such as the microstructures disclosed in the Applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 15/405,656, of which the disclosure is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In a particular embodiment, the airfoils of the present invention are formed with a single crystal structure but the blade tips are formed with a non-single crystal structure.
As shown in
The build plate 557 includes an aperture 564 extending from the build plate 557. The aperture 564 may be in communication with, and partially form the powder bed 565. As the metallic powder “P” is pushed across the aperture 564 of the build plate 557 by the powder translating mechanism 555, the metallic powder “P” is able to fall through the aperture 564 and into the powder bed 565. In this way, the powder translating mechanism 555 may be operable to deposit the metallic powder “P” through the aperture 564 of the build plate 557 and into the powder bed 565.
Preferably, the build plate 557 is made of a substantially non-conductive material (e.g. ceramic, glass or otherwise non-metallic) that is operable to prevent the external heat control mechanism 559 (which is operable to form a predetermined temperature profile of the intermediate 516) from heating the build plate 557 to a sintering temperature of the metallic powder “P” that is utilized to form layers of the blade tip added to the airfoil 510. In this way, the external heat control mechanism 559 is able to form a predetermined temperature profile of the airfoil 510 and the to-be manufactured tip without interfering with the fusion or sintering of the metallic powder “P” that forms layers of the tip. Preferably, the external heat control mechanism 559 is induction-based, but radiant- or laser-based heating may also be used (e.g. with heat lamp(s) or auxiliary laser).
The external heat control mechanism 559 in the example shown in
The external heat control mechanism 559 may be operable to form a predetermined temperature profile of the build surface 512. For example, the external heat control mechanism 559 in one example includes at least one induction coil that substantially surrounds the intermediate 516 when the intermediate 516 is positioned within the aperture 564 of the build plate 557. As the airfoil 510 is conductive and so is the to-be manufactured tip, the at least one induction coil of the external heat control mechanism 559 is able to control the temperature of the intermediate 516 and the tip as electric current is passed through the coil and a magnetic field is created. Further, as the external heat control mechanism 559 is positioned proximate to the bottom surface 566 of the build plate 557, the external heat control mechanism 559 is capable of controlling the temperature of the build surface 512 to ensure that the layers of the blade tip formed by the metallic powder “P” are not cracked. In this way, the external heat control mechanism 559 is operable to form a predetermined temperature profile of the build surface 512 to prevent cracking of the blade tip.
In one example, a predetermined temperature profile is generated of at least one newly, additively formed layer from the sintering or fusion temperature of the at least one layer to the solidification temperature thereof (e.g., about 1300° C., depending upon the composition of the metal alloy powder “P”) such that, at least upon solidification, the at least one layer is crack-free. The predetermined temperature profile of a newly formed layer, such as a predetermined cooling profile from the sintering or fusion temperature to the solidification temperature thereof, that results in the solidified layer being crack free may be empirically determined, experimentally determined or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the predetermined temperature profile may be a range of predetermined cooling profiles of at least one newly and additively formed layer from the sintering or fusion temperature to the solidification temperature thereof such that, at least upon solidification, the at least one layer is crack-free. A particular temperature profile made from at least one newly and additively formed layer that is effective in preventing cracks in the at least one layer at least upon solidification may be influenced or depend (at least in part) by a number of factors, such the composition of the metallic powder “P”, the thickness of the at least one layer, the shape/configuration of the at least one layer, the initial temperature of the at least one layer (i.e., the fusion temperature), the solidification temperature of the at least one layer, the temperature gradient between the at least one layer and the preceding and/or subsequent layer or formed portion, the desired microstructure of the at least one layer after solidification, the ultimate operating parameter of the additively manufactured tip, the desired speed of the formation of the at least one layer (i.e., the movement of the component by the component translating mechanism 560), etc. In one example, the apparatus 550 forms or applies the predetermined temperature profile to an end portion of the airfoil 510 (e.g., to at least one newly formed layer), such as a cooling profile from fusion to solidification, by use of at least the external heat control mechanism 559 and the component translating mechanism 560 (to translate the intermediate 516 with respect to the external heat control mechanism 559).
The predetermined temperature profile is typically greater than ambient temperature and less than a temperature required to melt the deposited material, i.e. 200-1200° C., preferably 500-1200° C., more preferably 1000-1200° C. In one embodiment, the external heat control mechanism sustains the temperature during the DMLM at about 1000° C. Heating at such a temperature promotes growth of the crystalline grains formed in the blade tip, thereby allowing multiple ultra-thin additive layers (˜20-100 μm thick) to be formed that in turn, result in a blade tip having improved feature resolution. In addition, heating to such temperatures avoids cracking of the deposit, which occurs at lower temperatures.
As shown in
Once metallic powder “P” is deposited within the powder bed 565 and a layer of metallic powder “P” is thereby formed over or on the build surface 512, as shown in
The beam directing mechanism 570 moves or scans the focal point of an unfocused laser or electron beam emitted by the directed energy source 569 across the build surface 512 during the DMLM processes. The beam directing mechanism 570 in DMLM processes is typically of a fixed position but the optical (e.g. telecentric lenses, mirrors, beam splitters) or electronic (e.g. deflector coils, focusing coils) contained therein may be movable in order to allow various properties of the laser beam to be controlled and adjusted. However, in some embodiments the beam directing mechanism 570 itself may be moved to different positions for such adjustments. The speed at which the laser is scanned is a critical controllable process parameter, impacting how long the laser power is applied to a particular spot. Typical laser scan speeds are on the order of 10 s to 100 s of millimeters per second.
In certain embodiments the directed energy source 569 is a diode fiber laser array (e.g. a diode laser bar or stack) that includes a plurality of diode lasers or emitters that each emit a beam of radiation. A cylindrical lens may be positioned between the diode lasers and a plurality of optical fibers. The cylindrical lens compensates for the high angular divergence in the direction perpendicular to the diode junction of the lasers, typically reducing the beam divergence in the fast axis to less than that of the slow axis, thereby easing the assembly tolerances of the overall system compared to an assembly which does not use any coupling optics (i.e., one in which each fiber is simply placed in close proximity to the laser to which it is to be coupled). However, it should be appreciated that diode fiber laser arrays that do not use coupling optics may be used with the present technology. In certain embodiments, the plurality of optical fibers may further includes lenses at their respective ends that are configured to provide collimated or divergent laser beams from the optical fibers. It should also be appreciated that even in the absence of these lenses, the ends of the optical fibers 109 may be adapted to provide collimated or divergent laser beams.
As an alternative to induction heating, the DMLM process of the present invention may be equipped with radiant heating, where at least a portion of the blade tip that is being additively manufactured and a retaining wall that defines a build chamber are heated to a desired temperature, such as the additive manufacturing processes disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2013/0101746 (currently assigned to Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A plurality of heating elements may be mounted or supported upon the retaining wall. Preferably, at least the additively manufactured blade tip and the retaining wall proximal to the unfocused irradiation beam are radiantly heated. More preferably, the blade tip and the entirety of the workspace within the build chamber are subject to radiant heating. The heating elements generate a radiant heat that maintains the entire workspace at a desired temperature. The desired temperature is typically greater than ambient temperature and less than a temperature required to melt the deposited material.
The DMLM apparatuses and methods described above may be used to construct all or part of the blade tip, potentially in combination with other methods. For example, to construct all of blade tip via the apparatus 550 and methods described above, a seed component may initially be utilized for the formation of a first layer thereon. In other embodiments, to construct part of the blade tip via the apparatus 550 and methods described above the layers may be formed on a pre-existing partially formed tip.
In one particular embodiment, a DMLM apparatus or system in accordance with the present invention (with or without induction/radiant heating) may be combined with another additive manufacturing system and technique, namely the direct ink writing (DIW), which is also known as “robocasting”, for computer-controlled deposition of ceramic slurry. As illustrated in
It is shown in
Prior to any of the additive manufacturing processes described herein, the ceramic-metal build surface may be treated for ceramic contamination, e.g. by vacuuming, chemical treatment with an alkaline media, or with a protective layer covering the build surface or a combination of two or more of these, which promotes clean bonding of the additive metal to the cast parent airfoil.
The ceramic cores of the present invention may incorporate special design features, for example one or more witness features. In some embodiments, the witness feature is embedded in the ceramic core in such a way that only one surface of the witness feature is shown without the feature sticking out from the core surface. In other words, the witness feature is co-planar with the core surface. Alternatively, the witness feature forms a notch protruding from the core surface. In certain embodiments, the witness feature is made of a material other than ceramic. In other embodiments, the witness feature, like the core, is also made of ceramic, which together with the core may be additively manufactured, e.g. using one or more of the techniques disclosed in the Applicant's co-pending application Ser. Nos. 15/377,673; 15/377,796; 15/377,728; 15/377,759; 15/377,787; 15/377,746; 15/377,766; and 15/377,783. The disclosures of each of these applications are incorporated here by reference in their entireties. Alternatively, the notch witness feature and the ceramic casting mold are manufactured using the technique selective laser activation (SLA). For example, the notch may be formed in the SLA metallic mold that is later used to form the wax core.
In another embodiment, ceramic cores of the present invention include features that, upon removal of the core, correspond to a plurality of turbulators being formed at the underside of the tip cap. These as-cast turbulators promote and/or increase heat transfer between the heated sidewalls of the airfoil and the internal cooling air.
In an alternative embodiment, the tip cap having a series of heat-transferring turbulators as described above is additively manufactured rather than cast.
Yet other specific features or contouring may be incorporated in the ceramic core design of the present invention, including but not necessarily limited to integrated ceramic filaments between the core and shell of the mold that can be utilized to form holes, i.e., effusion cooling holes, in the cast component made from these molds. The use of sufficient ceramic filaments between core and shell to both locate and provide leaching pathways for the core serpentine also enables the elimination of ball braze chutes. Ceramic filaments between the tip plenum core and the shell may also be provided to support a floating tip plenum, eliminating the need for traditional tip pins, and their subsequent closure by brazing.
Conventional ceramic cores, like the core 800A shown in
The blade tips of the present invention may incorporate one or more holes formed thereon during the additive manufacturing process. The ceramic core may be leached through these holes.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an alternative method of repairing a field-return turbine blade with a damaged tip that does not utilize a ceramic-metal build surface for the additive manufacturing of a replacement tip. Referring to
The ultra-thin shim 1012 is preferably made of the same material as the metallic powder used to additively manufacture the blade tip. Importantly, due to its thickness of merely less than 1000 μm, for example 25-900 μm (0.025-0.9 mm), preferably 200-750 μm (0.02-0.75 mm) and more preferably 250-500 μm (0.25-0.5 mm), the ultra-thin shim 1012 can be more readily and more easily joined to the outer wall of the airfoil 1010 compared to the thin plate 50 and the shim 50′ disclosed in the earlier-referenced U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0200189. The joining may be done using the same processes described herein. Also importantly, the ultra-thin shim 1012 is not limited by its geometrical shape, but preferably it fully covers the outer walls of the airfoil 1010 to form a continuous and sealed support surface with one or more overhangs 1016 for the additive manufacturing of the blade tip. The overhang(s) 1016 is subsequently removed at step S1006, for example, by machining or grinding or any other known equivalent technique.
In an aspect, the present invention relates to the manufacturing methods of the present invention incorporated or combined with features of other manufacturing methods, apparatuses and ceramic core-shell molds. The following patent applications include disclosure of these various aspects of these methods and molds:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/406,467, titled “Additive Manufacturing Using a Mobile Build Volume,” and filed Jan. 13, 2017.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/406,454, titled “Additive Manufacturing Using a Mobile Scan Area,” and filed Jan. 13, 2017.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/406,444, titled “Additive Manufacturing Using a Dynamically Grown Build Envelope,” and filed Jan. 13, 2017.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/406,461, titled “Additive Manufacturing Using a Selective Recoater,” and filed Jan. 13, 2017.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/406,471, titled “Large Scale Additive Machine,” and filed Jan. 13, 2017.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/439,592 titled “METHOD OF REPAIRING TURBINE COMPONENT” and filed Feb. 22, 2017;
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/439,584 titled “METHOD OF MANUFACTURING TURBINE AIRFOIL AND TIP COMPONENT THEREOF” and filed Feb. 22, 2017;
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/439,548, titled “METHOD OF MANUFACTURING TURBINE BLADE TIP” and filed Feb. 22, 2017;
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/439,451, titled “METHOD OF MANUFACTURING TURBINE AIRFOIL AND TIP COMPONENT THEREOF USING CERAMIC CORE WITH WITNESS FEATURE” and filed Feb. 22, 2017; and
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/439,643, titled “METHOD OF REPAIRING TURBINE COMPONENT USING ULTRA-THIN SHIM” and filed Feb. 22, 2017.
The disclosures of each of these applications are incorporated herein in their entireties to the extent they disclose additional aspects of core-shell molds and methods of manufacturing that can be used in conjunction with the core-shell molds disclosed herein.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the preferred embodiments, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims. Aspects from the various embodiments described, as well as other known equivalents for each such aspect, can be mixed and matched by one of ordinary skill in the art to construct additional embodiments and techniques in accordance with principles of this application.
Claims
1. A method of manufacturing a blade tip, comprising:
- a) pouring a liquid metal into a ceramic casting mold including a core portion and a shell portion to form a partial turbine blade workpiece upon solidification of the liquid metal, and leaving exposed at least one upper portion of the ceramic core;
- b) removing a portion of the ceramic casting mold and the partial turbine blade workpiece to create a surface portion of the partial turbine blade workpiece and a surface portion of the ceramic core;
- c) depositing a layer of metallic powder onto the surface portions;
- d) irradiating at least a portion of the metallic powder to form a fused layer; and
- e) repeating steps c)-d) until the blade tip is formed.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface portions are planar surfaces.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic casting mold further comprises a ceramic shell and at least one inner cavity between the shell and the core.
4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising removing the ceramic shell before step b).
5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising treating the surface portions to prevent ceramic contamination.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the surface portions are treated by vacuuming, chemical treatment with an alkaline media, with a protective layer, or a combination thereof.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps c)-e) are carried out in the presence of induction heating, radiant heating or a combination of both.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein steps c)-e) are carried out in the presence of induction heating at 200-1200° C.
9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising removing the ceramic casting mold from the partial turbine blade workpiece.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ceramic casting mold is removed by mechanical force.
11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ceramic casting mold is removed by chemical leaching.
12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ceramic casting mold is removed by mechanical force and chemical leaching.
13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the ceramic casting mold and the partial turbine blade workpiece is removed by machining.
14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the ceramic casting mold and the partial turbine blade workpiece is removed by cutting.
15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the partial turbine blade is an airfoil.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the airfoil has a single crystal structure.
17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the blade tip has a non-single crystal structure.
18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metallic powder is a superalloy metallic powder.
19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic is a photopolymerized ceramic.
20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic is a cured photopolymerized ceramic.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Feb 22, 2017
Date of Patent: Apr 7, 2020
Patent Publication Number: 20180236556
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY (Schenectady, NY)
Inventors: Gregory Terrence Garay (West Chester, OH), Mark Kevin Meyer (Cincinnati, OH), Douglas Gerard Konitzer (West Chester, OH), William Thomas Carter (Niskayuna, NY)
Primary Examiner: Jessee R Roe
Assistant Examiner: Rebecca Janssen
Application Number: 15/439,529
International Classification: B22F 5/04 (20060101); B22F 3/105 (20060101); B22F 7/08 (20060101); B22F 7/06 (20060101); B22D 29/00 (20060101); B33Y 10/00 (20150101); F01D 5/20 (20060101); B22D 25/02 (20060101); B33Y 80/00 (20150101); B22F 5/10 (20060101);
